28: First Day Away, Part 1

28 A.G.S. Monday, Spring 1
Boys' Camp, Kulo Kor: Hestrie zan-Avira (13), Shiloh zan-Arzep (13), Amin zan-Arzep (12), Andrew zan-Avira (12), Eric zan-Ellen (12)




"Armando should have been here,"  Andrew said, walking over to stand beside his brother. "No way it's going to be the same around here without him."

Hestrie just stared at the two cabins that had been prepared for their group. The three other boys who had come with them stood close to the nearest cabin; Hestrie could hear one of them muttering something about "built yesterday and already look like they're falling down".




"He should definitely be here," he agreed. Armando zan-Avira, their adopted cousin, had fallen ill during the tribe's long journey to their new home of Kulo Seeri; in the middle of a remote area with very limited supplies, there was very little that could be done, and he was dead before the Nuidya had reached their destination. If he had survived, he would have been the eleventh of the new teens coming of age at the season's end.

"Knock it off with the doom and gloom already!" Amin zan-Arzep grabbed Hestrie in a headlock and explained that "We're practically in paradise here - no adults to tell us what to do, and the girls can't tell us off for goofing around either, 'cause they're in a separate camp... and when we come back, we'll be men and we can join the guard or the council or something. But right now, we're out on our own for the first time, and Armando would have wanted us to have fun! Four days until we have to start being responsible, let's make the most of them!"

After a similar discussion with Eric zan-Ellen, Andrew decided to head for the small pond in the centre of the campsite. The boys were going to need food for the next four days, and if anyone was going to get credit for the first catch, he decided, it was going to be him.

It wasn't long before he got what he was looking for, prompting Amin and Shiloh to grab a couple of spare rods and hopefully outdo him with a bigger fish or two.

However, things didn't work out exactly as they had planned.

Meanwhile, Eric challenged Hestrie to a few rounds of rock-paper-scissors, in the hope that it would take his mind off the loss of his cousin and get him into the "vacation" spirit.

"Rock smashes scissors! Whooo! I am Emperor Rock and I crush your puny scissors with my bare hands!"

"Sena spear it, Hestrie, you're so irritating when you get it right... what is the matter with you?"

As the day went on, the mood gradually changed. The fact that there should have been six boys in the camp, although not quite forgotten, became less depressing, and silliness started to take over. In four days, they would return to the village, leaving their childhood behind on Kulo Kor. For now, they would make the most of it.

From Shiloh's declaration that "A giant robot with laser eyes couldn't get a ball past me! Nyah!" to Eric and Amin's discussion of genies and lamps in the outhouse, it was beginning to seem that the boys were more like children now than they had ever been.

Towards the end of the day, with everyone starting to get hungry, Shiloh attempted to cook one of Andrew's fish. For a first attempt at cooking, everyone agreed, it wasn't half bad.

Long after night fell, they were still wide awake, and starting to discuss the possibility that maybe having girls in the camp wouldn't have been so bad.

*****

VT says: I am so glad I went with a group camping trip as the Nuidya coming of age rite. These boys are hilarious to play - especially when I'm mostly letting them run around on free will.

Part 2, the first day in the girls' camp, will be up next.